No. 17 ISU Moves to 9-0 With Win Over George Mason

HONOLULU, Hawai'i – No. 17 Iowa State used a strong end to the first half and start to the second half to pull away from George Mason Sunday and record a 79-67 victory at the Stan Sheriff Center in the opening round of the Diamond Head Classic. The win improved the Cyclones to 9-0 on the season, its second-best start in school history behind only a 10-0 start in 1996-97, while George Mason fell to 5-5.

Iowa State can match its best start in school history tomorrow when they play Akron. Monday's game will be at 3:30 p.m. Central Time and on ESPNU.

Keys to the GameIowa State used a late first-half run to get some breathing room going into the locker room and was able to get the lead to as many as 12 points early in the second half.

However, the Patriots were able to battle back and reduced the lead to 56-51. The Cyclones promptly went on a 9-0 run which included five free throws to get the lead back to 65-51 and give Iowa State some breathing room down the stretch.

A back-and-fourth first half saw George Mason pull ahead 25-24 before Iowa State pulled off a 10-2 run with four points each from DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim which was finished up with a Dustin Hogue lay-in on the fast break to give the Cyclones a 34-27 edge, their largest of the first 20 minutes.

Hogue, the Big 12’s leading rebounder, was at his best on the offensive end in the first frame as he led the Cyclones with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. While Ejim only contributed six points in the first half, he found other ways to get involved with nine rebounds and tying a season-high with three assists.

Cyclone Game Ball Goes to…Dustin Hogue. Though he did not lead Iowa State in scoring (Georges Niang posted 22 points) or rebounding (Melvin Ejim had a season-high 11 rebounds), Hogue was a reliable presence for Iowa State throughout the entire game. The junior was the go-to guy for the Cyclones in a sluggish first half with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Hogue finished the game with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Hogue also showed he could share the ball as well, posting a career-high three assists. Among them was a nice outlet to find Kane on the break to give ISU an early 38-30 lead in the second half. Two possessions later, Hogue fired a strong bounce pass to a posting-up Niang to set up hook shot that moved the Cyclones lead to 42-32.

Cyclone Notes*Iowa State has started the season 9-0, the second-best start in school history (10-0 in 1996-97).*Georges Niang posted his third-straight game with at least 20 points, finishing with 22.*Dustin Hogue’s 17 points marked his fourth-straight game in double-figures and seventh of the season.*Hogue also recorded a career-high three assists.*Melvin Ejim started his 99th career game, tying him for 11th in school history with Diante Garrett.*Ejim posted his 24th career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.*Ejim had his second game of the season, 33rd of his career with at least 10 rebounds as he finished with a season-high 11 rebounds.*Naz Long has made at least one 3-pointer in each game this season.